Apparatus for rolling flat sheet metal.



No. 705,837. Patented July 29, |902. T. wm'renouse.

PPARATUS FR ROLLING FLAT SHEET METAL.

(Applieation med my 2, i902.)

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Pafented July 29, |902.

T. WHITEHUSE. APPARATUS FUR ROLLING FLAT SHEET METAL.

(Application led May 2, 1902.) (No Model.) 4'Shees-Sheet 2.

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' T. WHITEHOUSE.

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING FLAT SHEET METAL.

(Application med May'2, 19,02.)

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, Patented July 29, |902.y T. WHITEHOUSE. I APPARATUS FR ROLLING FLATSHEET METAL.

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y j UNITED "STATES APATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS VHITEIIOQUSE, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND..

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING FLAT SHEET METAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters :Patent N0. 705,887', dated. July29, 1902. Application filed May 2, 1902. Serial No.1051654. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known thatl, THOMAS WHITEHoUsE, metal-roller, a subject of :HisvMajesty the King of Great Britain and-Ireland and of the BritishDominions Beyond the Seas, Emperor of India, residing at59 Algernonroad, Dudley road, in the city of Birmingham, England, haveinventedcertain new and useful Improvelnents in Apparatus for RollingFlat Sheet Metal, of which the following is a specification. j

This invention consists of the herein-described improvements inapparatus for rol-ling sheet metal perfectly flat, which has heretoforenot been satisfactorily accomplished, but the metal sheets after leavingthe rolls have been buckled, and it has been very difficult and verylaborious and in many cases,

impossible to get them perfectly hat. This is, however, very easilyaccomplished by my invention, as herein described. Moreover, myinvention can when desired be arranged to impart a splendid polish tothe sheet metal at the same time that it is being rolled flat.

My invention is particularly applicable to vsheet German silverandsheet-brass, which is required to be perfectly flat and polished; but myinvention is also applicable to rolling any otherflat-m'etal sheetswhich require to be quiteiiat whether they are to be simultaneouslypolished or not.

I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings,on which- Figure lis aside elevation of apair of sheetrolls withmyinvention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a part-sectionalend elevation ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a part-sectional plan of the same. Fig. 4c is apart-sectional front elevation of the traveling carriage and gripper,part of the same on a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of thesaid traveling carriage and grippers, and Fig. 6 is a plan of the same.

the delivery side of the rolls A A2 a drawbench of peculiarconstruction, made with a traveling carriage B, provided withgrippingjaws C D, which grip the end of the sheet as it is deliveredthrough the rolls A A2. The carriage B is-arranged to travel backwardfrom the rolls A A2 at a higher speed than and vdelivering the sheetfrom the rolls in a Y perfectly flat state. Moreover, when the rolls AA2 are lapped and polished perfectly true vthemetal sheet is polished bythe rolls simultaneously with the rolling and stretching, so that thesheet is delivered polished and perfectly flat. j

The draw-bench above referred to is formed of two side frames E' E2,planed at the top, so as to form guides for t-he carriage B, and boltedto the inner sides ofthe two roll-housings F F2 and extending fromalmost close to the rolls A A2 to any distance, according to the longestsheet which is required to be rolled. At the end farthest from the rollsthe side frames E'- E2 stand on legs e e2 and are bolted together at theproper distance apart by a cross-stayed The carriage B moves along` theguides at the top of the side frames E E2 and is Worked by two endlessside chains G' G2 of the kind usually employed in drawbenches, whichpass around sprocket-wheels H H2, xed on the horizontal shaft I, whichturns in bearings in the far end of the drawbench, and saidchains alsopass around two other Vsprocket-wheels J J2, which turn on cross-pinsk KK2, situated as near as possible to the lower roll A2. on the-carriage Bare made the full width of the sheetwhich is to be rolled and are perfectlystraight, so as to grip the sheet evenly all along, and the topjaw C is jointed by the cross-pin `W to lugs b\on the carriage above thesheet, and the jaw D is jointed by the cross-pin X to similar lugs Z22,formed on the carriage below the sheet, and, as will be seen by anexamination of Fig. 5, the gripping' jaws C D are inclined toward thedirection in which the sheet travels as it is delivered by the rolls, sothat the jaws C D act as toggles, and the grip on the sheet increaseswith the pull. In front of the jaws C D there is fixed a lip M, which isshown in plan view, Fig. 3, and also in Figs. 5 and 6, but is broken offin Fig. 4, and this lip extends all across the jaws, sothat the end ofthe sheet rests on this lip and by it is guided between the jaws to'belgripped thereby. The end ofthe sheet is cut The gripping-jaws C D IOOoff straight and square with the sides before the .sheet is passedthrough these finishingrolls, so as to afford the grippers a good hold.

The shaft I is driven by any convenient means from the roll A2, suchv asan endless chain N, which gears with the sprocket-wheel O, fixed on theend of the roll A2, and also gears with the sprocket-wheel P, whichv ismounted, as hereinafter described, on the shaft I, and the speed of theshaft I is such that the carriage B will travel at the required speedfaster than the periphery of the rolls A A2say about twenty-fivepercent. faster,

more or less, according to the kind of metal sheet and the thickness ofthe same.

There are two side dogs Q' Q2 fixed on the saine cross-shaft Q2, mountedin the lugs b2 b4 of the carriage B, so as to lift together and so as tobe turned down so that the ends q of the dogs engage in the endlesschains G G2 when the jaws C D of the carriage B have gripped the sheet,or these dogs can be turned up free of the chains G' G2 when the sheethas passed through the rolls A A2. When the dogs Q Q2 have been turnedup beyond the vertical center line of the cross-shaft Q3, the cam q2 onthe shaft Q3 comes in contact with the cross-bar b5 of the carriageB,-and thus forms a stop to prevent the dogs being turned over too far.Fixed to the top jaw C are two backwardly-projecting arms c c2, whichextend over the shaft Q2, and on the said shaft there are mounted twoshort-levers Rl R2, to which the loops S S2 are jointed, these loopsembracing the arms c' c2 and each provided with a set-screw s', whichbear on the top of the arms c' c2, this arrangement having this effectthat the act of putting down the dogs Q' Q2 to engage with thedrawchains G' G2 turns the levers R R2 downwardly, causing theset-screws s to act upon and depress the lever-arms c' c2 and turn thetop jaw C, so as to close the same onto the sheet and nip it against thebottom jaw D. Also it will be seen that when the dogs Q Q2 are liftedout of gear with the draw-chains G' G2 the levers R R2 are turnedslightly and the loops S S2 and their set-screws s are raised, so thatthe arms c c2 then lift and turn the top jaw so that the sheet isreleased.

In order to adjust the tension on the sheet as it is being rolled, thesprocket-wheel P is not fixed directly on the shaft I, but is mounted toturn loosely thereonv between the two disks T' T2, the acting faces ofwhich are or may be covered with leather, so as to increase the frictionbetween their acting faces and the surfaces of the sprocket-wheel O. Thedisk T abn ts against the fixed collar t", forged on the shaft L, andthe other disk T2 is adjustable by the nut U, which is screw-threaded onthe end of the shaft I, and between this nut U and the disk T2 there isprovided a coiled spring V to equalize the pressure. The disks T T2 aremounted on feathers on the shaft I, so as to turn therewith, and theythus form a friction-clutch, the friction of which is adjustable byturning the nut U, thus allowing the sprocket-Wheel P to lag behind andnot turn as fast as the shaft I if the tension on the sheet is toogreat. Thus by turning the nut U, which is made with handles u u2 forthis purpose, the tension on the sheet can be adj usted as required,according to the thickness and kind of sheet which is being operatedupon.

The apparatus above described is used as follows: The dogs Q Q2 arelifted out of gear with the driving-chains G' G2, and the carriage B ispushed up as close as possible to the rolls. The sheet which has beenrolled down almost to the required thickness and only now requires to befinished and has had its end cut perfectly straight and square with thesides is then entered between the rolls, and as its end passes throughit travels along the lip M and enters the gripping-jaws C D, and theattendant who is watching then depresses the dogs Q Q2., so that theygear with the gear-chains G G2, and the carriage is now moved forward,putting the necessary pull upon the sheet as it is'passing through therolls, so as to stretch it to such an extent that it is delivered in aperfectly flat state. The dogs Q Q2 are then lifted so as to stop thecarriage'and release the sheet and the operation repeated as before on.another sheet, the friction on the sprocket-wheel I being adjust- .ed bythe nut U, so as to give the necessary stretch and pull on the sheet asit passes through the rolls.

The accompanying drawings illustrate what I consider to be the bestmeans of carrying my said invention into practice; but it is to beunderstood that my invention is not limited to the precise details(shown.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

In apparatus for rolling and delivering sheet metals in a perfectlyAflat state from the rolls, the combination with the sheetiinishingrolls, of a draw-bench provided with two endless, chains G, G',sprocket-wheels mounted in bearings near the rolls over which saidchains pass, a drivin g-shaft I at the opposite end of the bench,sprocket-wheels thereon overwhich-said chains also pass, a carriage Bmoving on the drawbench and having gripping-jaws C D adapted lto gripthe end of the sheet immediately it has passed through the rolls, dogscarried by the carriage adaptL ed to` engage and be disengaged from thechains, and means whereby the depression of the dogs causes the jaws togrip the sheet and the dogs to engage the chains, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence-of twowitnesses.

THOMAS WHITEHOUSE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES BoswoRTH KELLEY, THOMAS JOHN Rows.

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